Elantra (Petrol) GLS Ownership Experience 6500 Kms

[1self]

Hey Guys!!
i bought this vehicle in June 2006. lots of people told me i was a fool to go in for a vehicle that had flopped in the market. i daresay that this has been one of the best choices i have ever made!!! period!!

i mean from day one i have had fun...& more fun. i got her for an on road price of 8.9 lakhs (pune). i upgraded from an uno petrol. with 127ps on tap not to mention abs, ebd, traction control, dual airbags this sweetheart of mine is simply too good, actually 3 good!!

consumption has been a constant 8.5 in terrible city traffic & 13 on the highway driving at speeds in excess of 170 kmph. top speeds i have managed on the stock car is 190 kmph, and after fitting a stock K&N filter, i have done 210 kmph on the expressway. at these speeds she is as planted as a bloody tree!! the tyres dont even squeal on the turns! if i had to change something, i would go for wider tyres of the same manufacturer (current is 165/r15).

the low speed ride was a little harsh initially as the tyres are tubeless (factory fitted mrf zvts rated at 240 kmph). there has been a marked softning of the suspension as the kilometers pile up on the odo. the base version (the GT) does not have any of the safety features i have mentioned above. she on road price of that is 7.7 lakhs (pune).

she handles better than anything i have ever driven (this includes the 1.6 ikon & palio 1.2, uno petrol). i mean on the ghats where the signs say to do 30 kmph, i have done 150 without the aft section stepping out of line!! before u thing i am being foolhardy, let me tell u that i am a father of 2 kids, so i would not do something like this unless i had faith in my ride!!

the interiors are plush...very inviting! another investment i made was to get stanley leather (beige) & boy has that transformed the insides!! so i made another investment & put in xenons for the high beams!!

the back seat comfort is not much by standards that the new civic has set, though the legroom is adequate but then this is not supposed to be a chauffer driven machine. it excels as a drivers car....

a couple of days back i fitted a tri-phase module & irridium sparks. now she moves like a crdi at low rpm & a 2.0 petrol at high rpm!! if this isn't affordable motoring nirvana i do not know what is!!!

please feel free to query me.

[viper]

Originally Posted by 1self

Hey Guys!!
if i had to change something, i would go for wider tyres of the same manufacturer (current is 165/r15).

Hi,

Welcome aboard. I guess you made a typo and meant 195/r15. Good to see you are having fun with the car and newly found extra oooomph.

Viper

[spadival]

Bravo..1self..Good review. This is a fav car of mine..Its good that it isn't so popular, because you get a better deal when you buy,than than say a NHC

[1self]

Originally Posted by spadival

Bravo..1self..Good review. This is a fav car of mine..Its good that it isn't so popular, because you get a better deal when you buy,than than say a NHC

Hi spadival!
u r absolutely right my man!! for that matter even the new sonata is selling for a good 2 to 3 lakhs less than the sticker price!! so let us pray that more driver oriented cars flop in the market....leaves the likes of us some manoeuvring space...literally!!!

[raj_aryan4411]

nice review 1self....at such a price it feels like a good investment after all
anyways what about the maintainance....if any......???????

[ravibhat]

hey great review, I always love hyundai cars for safety, only stuff which I didn't like is ride quality, Next time when I shop for cars I will test drive elantra for sure.

Regards,

Ravi.

[1self]

Originally Posted by raj_aryan4411

nice review 1self....at such a price it feels like a good investment after all
anyways what about the maintainance....if any......???????

Hi raj!!
she went through the first scheduled maintainance, all was checked, nothing changed, after that....nothing!!

[kutlee]

Originally Posted by 1self

i mean on the ghats where the signs say to do 30 kmph, i have done 150 without the aft section stepping out of line!! before u thing i am being foolhardy, let me tell u that i am a father of 2 kids, so i would not do something like this unless i had faith in my ride!!
the interiors are plush...very inviting! another investment i made was to get stanley leather (beige) & boy has that transformed the insides!! so i made another investment & put in xenons for the high beams!!
please feel free to query me.

150 in Ghats in unbeleivable to me!!. Good to see one more happy cystomer of Elantra. This one is in my next car list. BTW how much did you spend on the module? 8.9 is a bit thirsty. But has the Power to drink that much. Mm then i think i must keep the Santro for city and Elantra for the highways. but if i get addicted to the power might eventually forget about the Santro!!

[Sush]

I must say that those are really high speeds that you are talking about. You might be having faith in your ride but please be cautious of others drivers and stray animals.
Happy Driving!!!

[Steeroid]

Pardon me for crashing the party - while the report is rather nice, I'm a bit skeptical about these points:

1. Mileage figures mentioned seem to be on the higher side. 6-7 kmpl in city is what we have come to expect from the petrol Elantras that my friends have. They are not complaining because they feel the car is good enough, but the mileage figures are 6-7 in city and about 10 on the highway..

2. Handles better than an Ikon - that is difficult to digest because whatever else the Ikon may have been, it was always a great handler. Almost all Ford Europe cars are great handlers. I wouldnt compare the Elantra to the Ikon.

3. 150 kmph on the ghats - I'm sorry but this cannot be digested, no matter what.

Otherwise a good review from a person who loves the car very much.

[F50]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

2. Handles better than an Ikon - that is difficult to digest because whatever else the Ikon may have been, it was always a great handler. Almost all Ford Europe cars are great handlers. I wouldnt compare the Elantra to the Ikon.

I dont know about mileage hence Im not commenting on it.

As far as handling is concerned. This month Overdrive's Auto Power 2006 tests results say Elantra is the best handling car in the market. This is purely OD's view. I havent driven Elantra.
Coming to Ikon. Now I have driven it and it handles well but I would like to rate one car above Ikon and its Corsa. It is just fantastic to drive. So for me Corsa scores more than Ikon.

[abhibh]

Maybe becuse high speed handling of corsa is great due to its bulkyness.

Originally Posted by F50

.
Coming to Ikon. Now I have driven it and it handles well but I would like to rate one car above Ikon and its Corsa. It is just fantastic to drive. So for me Corsa scores more than Ikon.

[adarsh76]

Could you clarify which section of Ghats you reached the speed of 150 km/h? I think the 150 is a typo made by you. Mileage given by you is expected. It's not a big surprise. Drive well and you'll get good mileages than expected on any car.

It's a hidden secret that Elantra is a very good car.

[viper]

Guys,

I think I can clarify all your queries. The "Ghat " section referred by him is probably on the expressway which has good long stretches on the section from Khandala till the toll naka. I dont find that difficult to believe at all. He was not referring to the typical ghats I am sure.

Viper

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by viper

The "Ghat " section referred by him is probably on the expressway which has good long stretches on the section from Khandala till the toll naka. I dont find that difficult to believe at all. He was not referring to the typical ghats I am sure.

If so its a lot more believable, but he did mention Ghat sections with a 30kmph speed advisory posted on them. Does the expressway have 30kmph signs?